Heads up display systems for glasses

ABSTRACT

A Heads-Up Display (HUD) system for mounting on a pair of glasses comprises a power module for providing electrical power removably mountable to one side of a lens assembly of the glasses, an electronics module connectable to receive electrical power from the power module, the electronics module removably mountable to an opposite side of the lens assembly of the glasses; and a display housing mounted on a display arm extending from the electronics module to a position within a field of vision of a user wearing the glasses. A pair of glasses adapted to receive a HUD system comprises a lens assembly providing one or more electrically conductive paths from a first side thereof to a second side thereof.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/658,731 filed Jun. 12, 2012 and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/799,466 filed on Mar. 15, 2013, both of whichare entitled HEADS UP DISPLAY SYSTEMS FOR GLASSES. For purposes of theUnited States of America, this application claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/658,731 filedJun. 12, 2012 and 61/799,466 filed Mar. 15, 2013, both of which arehereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to heads up displays. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to heads up display systemsfor glasses, and glasses adapted for such systems.

BACKGROUND

Athletes and others engaged in physical activity are sometimes unable tosafely use their hands to operate electronic devices and/or take theirview away from the focus of their physical activity for very long.

The inventors have determined a need for improved heads up displaysystems for glasses.

SUMMARY

One aspect provides a Heads-Up Display (HUD) system for a pair ofglasses comprising a lens assembly having a first side and a second sideopposite the first side, a power module mounted to the first side of thelens assembly, an electronics module mounted to the second side of thelens assembly, and, a display mounted on a display arm extending fromthe electronics module to a position within a field of vision of a userwearing the glasses.

Another aspect provides a HUD system for mounting on a pair of glasses,the HUD system comprising a power module for providing electrical powerremovably mountable to one side of a lens assembly of the glasses, anelectronics module connectable to receive electrical power from thepower module, the electronics module removably mountable to an oppositeside of the lens assembly of the glasses; and a display mounted on adisplay arm extending from the electronics module to a position within afield of vision of a user wearing the glasses.

Another aspect provides a pair of glasses adapted to receive a Heads-UpDisplay (HUD) system, the glasses comprising a lens assembly providingone or more electrically conductive paths from a first side thereof to asecond side thereof.

Other aspects and features of the present disclosure will becomeapparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of thefollowing description of specific embodiments in conjunction with theaccompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the attached Figures.

FIG. 1 shows an example pair of glasses with a heads up display (HUD)system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1A is a bottom perspective view of the glasses and HUD system ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the lens assembly of the glasses and theHUD system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2A illustrates components of a lens assembly according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2B illustrates components of a lens assembly according to anotherembodiment.

FIGS. 3, 3A and 3B are side views of the lens assembly of the glassesand the HUD system of FIG. 1 illustrating movement of the display arm infirst and second degrees of freedom.

FIGS. 4, 4A and 4B are front views of the lens assembly of the glassesand the HUD system of FIG. 1 illustrating movement of the display arm infirst and second degrees of freedom.

FIGS. 5 and 5A are respectively top perspective and side views of thelens assembly of the glasses and the HUD system of FIG. 1 illustratingmovement of the display arm in a third degree of freedom.

FIGS. 6 and 6A are respectively top perspective and side views of thelens assembly of the glasses and the HUD system of FIG. 1 illustratingmovement of the display arm in a fourth degree of freedom.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system of a HUD systemaccording to an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows an example pair of glasses with a HUD system according toanother embodiment.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are other views of the glasses and HUD system of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 shows example lens engagement features according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 10 shows an example camera module according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows an example pair of glasses with a HUD system according toone embodiment.

FIG. 11A shows a portion of the glasses and HUD system of FIG. 11.

FIGS. 12 and 12A illustrate adjustability of the display housing of theHUD system of FIG. 11 according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 13 and 13A illustrate lateral adjustability of the display unitwith respect to the display housing of the HUD system of FIG. 11according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 14 and 14A illustrate vertical adjustability of the display unitwith respect to the display housing of the HUD system of FIG. 11according to one embodiment.

FIG. 15 shows an example glasses lens with a HUD system according toanother embodiment.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate adjustability of the display unit of theHUD system of FIG. 15.

FIG. 15C shows the end of the display arm of the HUD system of FIG. 15in isolation.

FIG. 15D shows internal components of the end of the display arm of theHUD system of FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the glasses lens and the end of the displayarm of the HUD system of FIG. 15.

FIG. 16A is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 16.

FIG. 17 is a top view of a portion of the glasses lens and HUD system ofFIG. 15, showing an example module connector for connecting theelectronics module to the glasses lens.

FIG. 17A is an inner side view of the glasses lens, electronics moduleand module connector of FIG. 17.

FIG. 17B is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 17A.

FIG. 17C is a top view of the glasses lens, electronics module andmodule connector of FIG. 17 illustrating attachment of the electronicsmodule to the module connector.

FIG. 18 shows an example pair of glasses with a HUD system mounted onthe glasses lens according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, the present disclosure provides heads up display systems,methods and related apparatus configured for mounting on glasses.Example embodiments are described herein in the context of mounting tothe lenses of sunglasses, but it is to be understood that otherembodiments may be mounted to other types of glasses.

FIGS. 1 and 1A show an example heads up display (HUD) system 100 mountedon a pair of glasses according to one embodiment. In the illustratedembodiment, the glasses comprise a frame 102 having a cross piece 104and a pair of temple pieces 106L and 106R. A lens assembly 110 iscoupled to cross piece 104. A nose piece 108 is coupled to the bottomportion of lens assembly 110. System 100 comprises an electronics module130 and a power module 190 mounted on opposite sides of lens assembly110. Electronics module 130 houses a processor and a variety of othercomponents as described below for controlling the operation of system100. Power module 190 houses a battery or other power source, andoptionally power conditioning circuit elements, for providing electricalpower to the various components of system 100. A power button 132 isprovided for powering electronics module on and off. A communicationport 134 (such as, for example, a mini USB port) is provided forconnecting electronics module 130 to other devices. In the illustratedembodiment, electronics module 130 is shown coupled to the right side oflens assembly 110 and power module 190 is shown coupled to the left sideof lens assembly 110, but the positions of electronics module 130 and apower module 190 may be reversed in other embodiments.

A display arm 150 extends forwardly and inwardly from electronics module130 to position a display housing 160 within the field of vision of auser wearing the glasses. Display housing 160 houses a display unit fordisplaying images to the user as described below. Display arm 150 ispreferably adjustable to provide the user with one or more degrees offreedom to adjust the position of display housing 160. A viewing hood162 may be provided on display housing 160. Viewing hood 162 may bepositioned against lens assembly 210. Viewing hood 162 reduces theamount of ambient light which could interfere with the user's viewing ofimages on the display. In some embodiments, display housing 160 and/orviewing hood 162 is constructed from an ultraviolet (UV)-blockingmaterial, such as for example a UV-blocking plastic resin, as known inthe art. Such embodiments may be particularly advantageous for use withlens assemblies having tinting or other properties which change withexposure to UV radiation (such as, for example, Transitions™ lenses orthe like), such that the portion of the lens assembly between thedisplay and the user's eye will not be affected UV exposure, resultingin better transmission and higher brightness/contrast quality of theimage when viewed by the user.

In some embodiments, the combined weight of electronics module 130,display arm 150 and display housing 160 (as well as any other componentsattached thereto) may be selected to be approximately equal to theweight of power module 190, such that the glasses remain balanced whenelectronics module 130 and power module 190 are attached to lensassembly 110.

A user interface control 140 may be provided for interacting with system100. User interface control 140 may be located on display arm 150 as inthe illustrated example, on electronics module 130, or at any otherconvenient location. User interface control 140 may comprise, forexample a directional touch pad for navigating menus of a virtual userinterface displayed to the user. User interface control 140 may also beoperably coupled to an optional camera 170 (either directly to a cameradriver circuit, or indirectly through, for example, the processor inelectronics module 130), and configured such that a user may take apicture with camera 170 by clicking inward on user interface control140.

In some embodiments, a microphone 142 for receiving voice commands andother audio information and a speaker 144 for playing sounds to the user(e.g., audio cues) may be provided. Microphone 142 and speaker 144 maybe located on electronics module 130 as in the illustrated example, ondisplay arm 150, or at any other convenient location.

FIG. 2 shows lens assembly 110 in isolation without the other componentsof the glasses, with electronics module 130 (with display arm 150 anddisplay housing 160) and power module 190 on opposite sides thereof. Asdescribed further below, electronics module 130 and power module 190comprise lens engagement features configured to engage left and rightside portions 112R and 112L of lens assembly 110. In some embodiments,the lens engagement features of electronics module 130 and power module190 are configured such that electronics module 130 and power module 190can rapidly and easily be attached to and removed from lens assembly 110by a user, but are sufficiently strongly coupled to lens assembly 110 soas to stay in place while the user is engaged in physical activity. Insome embodiments, the structure for coupling electronics module 130 andpower module 190 to lens assembly 110 may be selected based on anexpected impact level of the user's physical activity. In someembodiments, the lens engagement features of electronics module 130 andpower module 190 are configured to form snap-fit connections withfeatures of components of lens assembly 110. As used herein, the term“snap-fit” refers to any releasable connection which is formed at leastin part by resilient deformation in one of the connecting components.Such resilient deformation may be relieved once the snap-fit connectionis made.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show exploded views of example lens assemblies 110A and110B, respectively. Lens assemblies 110A and 110B each provideelectrical connections between the sides thereof, such that contacts ofelectronics module 130 may be connected through lens assembly 110A or110B to receive electrical power from contacts of power module 190without requiring any additional electrical connections (such as, forexample a cable running through cross piece 104).

Lens assembly 110A comprises a transparent lens 114 with transparentconductive films (TCFs) 116F and 116R applied to the front and rearsides thereof. In some embodiments, one or more additional layers may beprovided atop either or both of TCFs 116F and 116R, such as, forexample, insulation layers, protective coating layers, etc. TCFs 116Fand 116R may, for example comprise transparent conductive oxides (e.g.,indium tin oxide (ITO), fluoride doped tin oxide, doped zinc oxide,etc.), organic conductors (e.g., carbon nanotube networks, graphene andmaterials based thereon, including those described in Khrapach, I.,Withers, F., Bointon, T. H., Polyushkin, D. K., Barnes, W. L., Russo, S.and Craciun, M. F. (2012), Novel Highly Conductive and TransparentGraphene-Based Conductors. Adv. Mater. doi: 10.1002/adma.201200489 whichis hereby incorporated by reference herein, networks of polymers, etc.),metal layer and grids (e.g. printable conductive inks such as, forexample, silver nanowire inks or other nanostructure inks) or otherstructures which conduct electricity while permitting visible light topass therethrough. TCFs 116F and 116R may be applied to the front andrear sides of lens 114 by any of a variety of suitable techniques knownin the art.

Lens assembly 110B comprises a flexible printed circuit (FPC) cable 118extending between the sides of lens 114 to provide conductive paths. FPCcable 118 may or may not be transparent, and when not transparent may berouted around the periphery of lens 114 as shown in FIG. 2B. As analternative to cable 118, lens assembly 110B could have conductive pathsformed by one or more printable conductive inks.

FIGS. 3, 3A and 3B are side views and FIGS. 4, 4A and 4B are front viewsillustrating adjustability of display arm 150 in first and seconddegrees of freedom according to one embodiment. Display arm 150comprises a first joint 152 pivotally connecting a first segment 154 ofdisplay arm 150 to electronics module 130. First joint 152 permitsdisplay arm 150 (and thus display housing 160) to be moved between alowered position as shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A and a raised position asshown in FIGS. 3B and 4B. First joint 152 may also be slidably coupledto electronics module 130 to permit first segment 154 to move forwardand backward relative to electronics module 130 as indicated by doubleheaded arrow 151.

FIGS. 5 and 5A illustrate adjustability of display arm 150 in a thirddegree of freedom according to one embodiment. A second joint 156pivotally connects display housing 160 to first segment 154 of displayarm 150. Second joint 156 permits the angle of display housing 160 to beadjusted as indicated by double headed arrow 157 to allow the user tochange the viewing angle of the display. In embodiments which includecamera 170, camera 170 may be positioned on first segment 154 in someembodiments such that the angle of camera 170 is not dependent on theangle of display housing 160.

FIGS. 6 and 6A illustrate adjustability of display arm 150 in a fourthdegree of freedom according to one embodiment. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 6 and 6A, first joint 152 also permits display arm 150 (and thusdisplay housing 160) to be pivoted inwardly and outwardly relative tolens assembly 110 as indicated by double headed arrow 159.

FIG. 7 shows an example embodiment of an electronic system 50 suitablefor use with a modular HUD system as described herein. Electronic system50 comprises sensor unit 60, processor unit 70, power unit 80 anddisplay unit 90. With reference to the example HUD system 100 describedabove, sensor unit 60 and processor unit 70 may be substantiallycontained in electronics module 130, power unit 80 may be substantiallycontained in power module 190 and display unit 90 may be substantiallycontained in display housing 160.

In the illustrated embodiment, sensor unit 60 comprises a 3-axisaccelerometer 62, a 3-axis gyroscope 64, a GPS receiver 66, and athermometer 68. Accelerometer 62 and gyroscope 64 are collectivelyreferred to herein as “INS” (inertial navigation system) sensors. TheINS sensors 62, 64 and GPS receiver 66 have complementary strengths andweaknesses such that their combined use provides for improvedreliability and accuracy of measurement of position and altitude ascompared to each sensor on its own.

Accelerometer 62 may comprise, for example, a micro-electro-mechanicalsystem (MEMS) device which produces digital output signalsrepresentative of linear accelerations along three perpendicular axes.In some embodiments, accelerometer 62 may comprise a LIS331DL motionsensor manufactured by STMicroelectronics.

Gyroscope 64 may comprise, for example, two MEMS devices, one of whichproduces analog output signals representative of angular velocitiesabout two perpendicular axes, and one of which produces an analog outputsignal about a third axis perpendicular to the other two axes. In someembodiments, gyroscope 64 may comprise an IDG-500 for measuring angularvelocities about an x-axis and a y-axis, and an ISZ-500 for measuringangular velocity about a z-axis, both of which are manufactured byInvenSense, Inc.

GPS receiver 66 may comprise, for example a Wide Area AugmentationSystem (WAAS) enabled GPS receiver with a built-in system clock. GPSreceiver 66 may, for example, output digital signals using a protocolsuch as NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000. Thermometer 68 may comprise, forexample, a digital thermometer.

In other embodiments, sensor unit 60 may comprise one sensor, somecombination of sensors described above or other sensors such as 3Gsignal receivers, wireless internet receivers, audio radio receivers,television or video receivers or the like.

Processor unit 70 comprises a processor 72 which, in the illustratedembodiment, is connected to receive signals from accelerometer 62,gyroscope 64, GPS receiver 66 and thermometer 68 of sensor unit 60.Processor unit 70 may comprise an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 74connected between processor 72 and any of the sensors of sensor unit 60which produce analog signals. In the illustrated embodiment, all sensorsof sensor unit 60 except gyroscope 64 have digital outputs, so ADC 64 isconnected only between gyroscope 64 and processor 62.

In the illustrated embodiment, processor unit 70 also comprises a memory76. Memory 76 may comprise volatile and/or non volatile memory such asRAM, ROM, or other types of memory. Memory 76 may also comprise aremovable media such as a USB drive, SD or miniSD card, etc. Memory 76has stored therein various computer readable instructions for use byprocessor 72. In other embodiments, memory 76 may be integrated intoprocessor 72.

Processor 72 may also be coupled to communications port 47 and powerbutton 48. Communications port 47 may be accessible to a user andcomprise one or more interfaces for wired or wireless communication withexternal devices. Communications port 47 may, for example, comprise oneor more USB, Firewire, or other interfaces. Power button 48 may also beaccessible to the user and operable to turn electronic system 50 on andoff.

Processor unit 70 may also send and receive information from otherdevices such as mobile phones, personal computers, other modular HUDsystems, etc. For example, processor 72 may receive images or video froma video camera 78 (which may either be a camera coupled to the HUDsystem such as camera 170 above, or a separate camera) and send the samevia an appropriate communications method. For example, in someembodiments processor 72 may control display 94 to act as a viewfinderfor video camera 78 by displaying live images from video camera 78.Display of live images from camera 78 on display 94 may facilitate userscapturing of intended scenes by providing feedback to users as to wherecamera 78 is pointing. Processor 72 may also cause display 94 to displaystored images captured with video camera 78. Video camera 78 may beconfigured to capture both still and moving images in some embodiments.Video camera 78 may be physically connected to electronic system 50 ormay be wirelessly connected through a Bluetooth communication protocolor other suitable communications methods. Processor 72 may also receiveinput commands from a remote control 79. Remote control 79 may bewirelessly connected to processor unit 70 and may comprise a wirelesswatch-type remote or be integrated into a user's gloves or mitts forexample. Remote control 79 may also be integrated into video camera 78.

In some embodiments, remote control 79 may include a thermometer 79′,and remote control 79 may be configured to transmit temperature readingstaken by thermometer 79′ to processor unit 70. Providing temperaturereadings taken by thermometer 79′ in remote control 79 may provide forsimplified temperature calibration in some embodiments, since remotecontrol 79 may not be susceptible to as many thermal disturbances asthermometer 68 of sensor unit 60, which is typically located close tothe users head and may be covered by a hat or other articles. Providingthermometer 79′ in remote control 79 may thus improve the accuracy oftemperature readings in some embodiments. In some embodiments,thermometer 79′ may be used in conjunction with thermometer 68 of sensorunit 60. In some embodiments, thermometer 68 of sensor unit 60 may beomitted, and thermometer 79′ may provide the only temperature readingsto processor unit 70.

Processor 72 is configured to transform signals received from sensorunit 60 to produce outputs representing various parameters relating touser performance, and other outputs. For example, processor 72 mayproduce outputs relating to one or more of position, orientation, time,speed, direction of travel, altitude, vertical drop, jump airtime, jumpdistance, spins, etc. Processor 72 may store the outputs and/or anyother data in memory 76. Processor 72 may also produce a video signal tobe displayed by display unit 90. In some embodiments, the video signalproduced by processor 72 for displaying on display 90 comprises one ormore of:

-   -   an instantaneous speed indication;    -   an average speed indication;    -   a position indication;    -   an orientation indication;    -   a direction of travel indication;    -   an altitude indication;    -   a vertical drop indication;    -   a jump airtime indication;    -   a jump distance indication;    -   a jump rotation indication;    -   other motion indications;    -   live or stored images from a camera (such as camera 94 or        another camera);    -   communication indications (e.g., text messages, emails, call        indications, voicemail indications, etc.); and    -   other visual indications.

In this example embodiment, power unit 80 comprises a battery 82 and apower conditioning circuit 84. Power conditioning circuit 84 receiveselectrical power from battery 82 and outputs electrical power atvoltages and/or currents suitable for the various components of sensorunit 60, processor unit 70, and display unit 90. In some embodiments,power conditioning circuit 84 may comprise temperature control elementsand short circuit protection elements contained in power module 190. Insome embodiments, power conditioning circuit 84 may comprise powermanagement elements contained in power module 190.

Display unit 90 may comprise a display driver 92 to receive the videosignal from processor 72. Display driver 92 is configured to generatedriving signals based on the video signal, and to provide the drivingsignals to a display 94 as described above. In some embodiments, displaydriver 92 is contained in display housing 160. In some embodiments,display driver 92 may be directly connected or connectable to receivevideo signals from camera 78.

Display 94 may comprise, for example, a Quarter Video Graphics Array(QVGA) having a 320×240 resolution and 16 bit colors. In someembodiments, display 94 may comprise, a micro LCD illuminated by asuitable backlight. In other embodiments, other types of displays may beused, such as, for example, LED or OLED displays, electroluminescent(EL) displays, or the like. In some embodiments, a projector may beconfigured to project information to be displayed onto the lens. Theprojector may, for example, be positioned to project information to bedisplayed onto a portion of the lens near the edge of the user's fieldof view.

Display unit 90 may also comprise a glance detection unit 93 in someembodiments. Glance detection unit 93 is configured to detect when auser looks at display 94. Glance detection unit 93 may be operativelycoupled to display driver 92 and configured to provide a signal todisplay driver 92 indicative of whether or not the user is looking atdisplay 94, and display driver 92 may be configured to maintain display94 in an off state or a power saving state unless the user is looking atdisplay 94. In some embodiments, glance detection unit 93 may comprisean infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver operatively coupled toprocessing elements. The infrared transmitter emits infrared light whichreflects off of a user's eye and is received by the infrared receiver.Through appropriate calibration, the processing elements of glancedetection unit 93 may determine from the reflected infrared lightreceived at the infrared receiver whether or not the user is looking atdisplay 94. In other embodiments, glance detection unit 93 may compriseone or more brightness sensors configured to capture ambient lightreflecting off of a user's eye to determine whether or not the user islooking at display 94. Further details of example glance detection unitsare described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/781,386, which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

A microphone 96 and speaker 98 may also optionally be operably coupledto processor 70 in some embodiments. As discussed above, with referenceto FIGS. 1 and 1A, microphone 96 and speaker 98 may be located onelectronics module 130, on display arm 150, or at any other convenientlocation.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show an example HUD system 200 coupled to a pair ofglasses according to another embodiment. The glasses and system 200 ofFIGS. 8 to 10 are similar to the glasses and system 100 discussed above,and corresponding components thereof are labeled with correspondingreference characters of the form 2xx in place of 1xx.

As best seen in FIGS. 8, 8A and 8B, display housing 260 comprises aviewing hood 262 extending rearward from display housing 260 which maybe positioned against lens assembly 210. Viewing hood 262 reduces theamount of ambient light which could interfere with the user's viewing ofimages on the display. In some embodiments, display housing 260 and/orviewing hood 262 is constructed from an ultraviolet (UV)-blockingmaterial, such as for example a UV-blocking plastic resin, as known inthe art. Such embodiments may be particularly advantageous for use withlens assemblies having tinting or other properties which change withexposure to UV radiation (such as, for example, Transitions™ lenses orthe like), such that the portion of the lens assembly between thedisplay and the user's eye will not be affected UV exposure, resultingin better transmission and higher brightness/contrast quality of theimage when viewed by the user.

FIG. 9 shows example structures for coupling power module 290 to lensassembly 210. It is to be understood that the same or similar structuresmay be provided on the other side of lens assembly 210 for couplingelectronics module 230 (and thus display arm 250 and display housing260) to lens assembly 210. A plurality of posts 215 (two in theillustrated embodiment) extend rearward from the left side of lensassembly 210, and power module 290 has a plurality of correspondinglyshaped slots 295 for receiving posts 215.

FIG. 10 shows an example positioning of an optional camera 270 ondisplay arm 250. In some embodiments, camera 270 may be provided as amodular unit which is connectable to a camera port on display arm 250 orelectronics module 230.

FIGS. 11 to 12A show an example HUD system 300 coupled to a pair ofglasses according to another embodiment, and FIGS. 13 to 14A show theelectronics module 330, display arm 350 and display housing 360 ofsystem 300 in isolation. System 300 of FIGS. 11 to 14A is similar tosystem 100 discussed above, and corresponding components thereof arelabeled with corresponding reference characters of the form 3xx in placeof 1xx. System 300 differs from system 100 in how the position of thedisplay may be adjusted, but may be substantially the same as system 100(or system 200 of FIGS. 8-10) in other respects. As such only theadjustability of the display of system 300 will be discussed in detail,but it is to be understood that system 300 may have any or all of thefeatures of systems 100 and 200 as described above.

Display arm 350 of system 300 is adjustably coupled to electronicsmodule 330 to facilitate adjustment of the position of display housing360. A display unit 361 (which may, for example, include an LCD,backlight and magnifying lens, as well as optionally certain displaydriving circuitry) is adjustably received in display housing 360 asdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 14A, and a viewing hood362 extends rearward from display unit 361 for reducing the amount ofambient light which could interfere with the user's viewing of images onthe display. In some embodiments, display housing 360 and/or viewinghood 362 is constructed from an ultraviolet (UV)-blocking material, suchas for example a UV-blocking plastic resin, as known in the art. Suchembodiments may be particularly advantageous for use with lensassemblies having tinting or other properties which change with exposureto UV radiation (such as, for example, Transitions™ lenses or the like),such that the portion of the lens assembly between the display and theuser's eye will not be affected UV exposure, resulting in bettertransmission and higher brightness/contrast quality of the image whenviewed by the user.

Display arm 350 is configured to bias display housing 360 toward lensassembly 310, such that viewing hood 362 is pressed against lensassembly 310. In some embodiments, display arm 350 is spring loaded suchthat when display arm 350 is pulled away from lens assembly 310 andreleased display arm 350 is urged back toward lens assembly 310. In someembodiments, display arm 350 is flexible and resilient and configuredsuch that when display arm 350 is pulled away from lens assembly 310 andreleased display arm 350 is urged back toward lens assembly 310.

To adjust the position of display housing 360, a user pulls displayhousing 360 away from lens assembly 310, as indicated by arrow 353 inFIG. 11A. The user may then move display housing 360 down (as indicatedby arrow 355D in FIG. 12) or up (as indicated by arrow 355U in FIG.12A), then allow display housing 360 to move back toward lens assembly310 such that hood 362 presses against lens assembly 310. Biasingprovided by display arm 350 increases the friction between hood 362 andlens assembly 310 to hold display housing 360 in place.

Fine control over the display position is achieved by providing anadjustable connection between display housing 360 and display unit 361.In some embodiments, the connection between display housing 360 anddisplay unit 361 is flexible and resilient such that the relativepositions thereof may be adjusted by a user, and display unit 361 tendsto return to a “default” or “rest” position with respect to displayhousing 360 when movement of display unit 361 is unconstrained (e.g.,when the user releases display unit 361 and hood 362 is not pressed upagainst lens assembly 310). In some embodiments, the connection betweendisplay housing 360 and display unit 361 is malleable such that relativepositions thereof may be adjusted by a user and the relative positionsof display housing 360 and display unit 361 are maintained movement ofdisplay unit 361 is unconstrained (e.g., when the user releases displayunit 361 and hood 362 is not pressed up against lens assembly 310).

FIGS. 13 and 13A illustrate lateral adjustability, and FIGS. 14 and 14Aillustrate vertical adjustability, of display unit 361 with respect todisplay housing 360. To adjust the relative positions of display housing360 and display unit 361, a user first pulls display housing 360 awayfrom lens assembly 310 as described above. The user may then movedisplay unit 361 right (as indicated by arrow 363R in FIG. 13), left (asindicated by arrow 363L in FIG. 13A), up (as indicated by arrow 363U inFIG. 14), down (as indicated by arrow 363D in FIG. 14A), or anycombination thereof with respect to display housing 360. Once thedesired position of display unit 361 is achieved, the user may allowdisplay housing 360 to move back toward lens assembly 310 such that hood362 presses against lens assembly 310. Biasing provided by display arm350 increases the friction between hood 362 and lens assembly 310 tohold display unit 361 in the desired position.

FIGS. 15 to 17C show an example HUD system 400 and glasses lens assembly410 (sometimes referred to as “glasses lens” for convenience) accordingto another embodiment. Display arm 450 of HUD system 400 extends formelectronics module 430 to position a display unit 460 within the user'sfield of view. Display arm 450 is substantially rigidly attached toelectronics compartment 430. Display unit 460 is adjustably received ina display bracket 480 (see FIGS. 15D and 16A) attached near the end ofdisplay arm 450 as described further below. A flexible boot 455 made ofrubber or some similar material covers the display unit 460 and displaybracket 480, such that the user may adjust the viewing angle of thedisplay as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B. In particular, the user canadjust the pitch of the display unit 460 through the boot 455 by movingthe boot 455 up and down as indicated by arrows 463U and 463D as shownin FIG. 15A. The user can adjust the yaw of the display unit 460 throughthe boot 455 by moving the boot 455 left and right as indicated byarrows 463L and 463R as shown in FIG. 15B. A display hood 462 extendsfrom the boot 455 toward the glasses lens 410. Hood 462 may becollapsible to conform to the shape of glasses lens 410. Hood 462 may,for example, be constructed from the same material as boot 455, and maybe integrally formed with hood 462.

FIGS. 15C and 15D show the end portion of display arm 450 in isolation.In FIG. 15D, display arm 450, boot 455 and hood 462 are depictedtransparently with broken lines to illustrate an example configurationof the internal components in the end portion of display arm 450. Theexample internal components are also shown in FIG. 16A, which is asectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 16.

As best seen in FIGS. 15D and 16A, display unit 460 comprises a displayan backlight assembly 461 and an optical assembly 470 which are held infixed relation to each other by connecting features 465. Opticalassembly 470 comprises a display lens 472 and a reflective surface 474configured to direct light from display and backlight assembly 461through hood 462 and toward the user's eye. Display lens 472 has aconvex spherical surface 474 sized and shaped to mate with a concavespherical surface 486 of display bracket 480, as described below.

Display bracket 480 comprises a body 482 attached to display arm 450,for example by a fastener such as a screw 484. An extension 483 frombody 482 defines the concave spherical surface 486 that receives theconvex spherical surface 474 of display lens 472. Concave sphericalsurface 486 has an opening therethrough for allowing light to pass fromthe optical assembly 470 through to the user's eye. The opening throughconcave spherical surface 486 of bracket 480 may be generallyrectangular in some embodiments. The extension 483 may comprise one ormore stops 488 extending around the edge of concave spherical surface486 to limit the range of movement of optical assembly 470.

FIGS. 17 to 17C show an example module connector 420 for connectingelectronics module to one side of glasses lens assembly 410 according toone embodiment. Power module 490 may be attached to the other side ofglasses lens 410 by another module connector (not shown), which may be amirror image of module connector 420. Glasses lens 410 may provide aconductive path between the first and second sides as described above.In some embodiments, the electrical connections between electronicsmodule 430 and power module 490 and the conductive path(s) glasses lens410 are effected directly (e.g. through contacts in electronics module430 and power module 490 that are in contact with the conductivepath(s)). In some embodiments, the electrical connections betweenelectronics module 430 and power module 490 and the conductive path(s)glasses lens 410 are effected through conducting portions formed in themodule connectors.

As best seen in FIGS. 17A and 17B, module connector 420 comprises twoprotrusions 422A and 422B configured to engage holes 415 in the sideportion of glasses lens 410. In the illustrated example, protrusion 422Ais configured to be positioned on the inner face of glasses lens 410 andhas an outwardly extending tab 424 to engage an upper one of the holes415, and protrusion 422B is configured to be positioned on the outerface of glasses lens 410 and has an inwardly extending tab 424 to engagean lower one of the holes 415. The holes 415 may extend all the waythrough glasses lens 410 as in the illustrated example embodiment, ormay only extend part way into glasses lens 410 in other embodiments.Module connector 420 may be attached to glasses lens 410 by pressingprotrusions 422A and 422B onto the edge of glasses lens 410 such thatthe tabs 424 engage the holes 415. Tabs 424 are preferably shaped tofacilitate attachment of module connector 420 to glasses lens 410 andinhibit removal of module connector 420 from glasses lens 410.

Module connector 420 has a recess 426 on the outer face thereofconfigured to receive a post 432 on the inner face of electronics module430. Electronics module 430 also comprises a spring loaded latch 434 onthe inner face thereof. Latch 434 is moveable into and out of engagementwith module connector 420, and is biased into engagement with moduleconnector 420. A tab 436 on latch 434 is configured to be received in acorresponding slot (not shown) in module connector 420.

As shown in FIG. 17C, a user may couple electronics module 430 toglasses lens 410 simply by pressing electronics module 430 inwardly ontomodule connector 420 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 17C. Tab 436 isshaped to move latch 434 backwards as post 432 is inserted into recess426. A user may remove electronics module 430 from glasses lens 410 bypulling latch 434 backwards and pulling electronics module 430 away frommodule connector 420.

FIG. 18 shows an example HUD system 500 mounted to a glasses lensassembly 510 (sometimes referred to as “glasses lens” for convenience)of a pair of glasses 501 according to another embodiment. HUD system 500of FIG. 18 is substantially similar to HUD system 400 of FIGS. 15 to17C, and corresponding components thereof are labeled with correspondingreference characters of the form 5xx in place of 4xx. HUD system 500 ofFIG. 18 includes a user interface component 540 on the display arm 550.The user interface component 540 may, for example, comprise an opticalfinger mouse. HUD system 500 of FIG. 18 also includes a camera 570mounted on the display arm 550.

As will be apparent to one of skill in the art from the presentdisclosure, the features and components of systems 100, 200, 300, 400,and 500 may be combined with each other in different permuations andsubcombinations from those of the example described above. For example,the user interface, camera, microphone and speaker described above inrelation to system 100 may be incorporated into any of systems 200, 300,400, or 500. In other examples, the arm adjustability of system 100, 200and/or 300 may be combined with the display unit adjustability of system400 or 500, and/or the module connectors of system 400 or 500 may beused in any of systems 100, 200 and/or 300.

Other embodiments may provide HUD systems with variations of thefeatures described above and/or different features from those describedabove. Such variations and/or different features may be used in thealternative to or in addition to the features described above, or witheach other in different combinations and permutations than the exampleembodiments discussed herein.

In the preceding description, for purposes of explanation, numerousdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the artthat these specific details are not required. In other instances,well-known electrical structures and circuits are shown in block diagramform in order not to obscure the understanding. For example, specificdetails are not provided as to whether the embodiments described hereinare implemented as a software routine, hardware circuit, firmware, or acombination thereof.

Embodiments of the disclosure can be represented as a computer programproduct stored in a machine-readable medium (also referred to as acomputer-readable medium, a processor-readable medium, or a computerusable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein).The machine-readable medium can be any suitable tangible, non-transitorymedium, including magnetic, optical, or electrical storage mediumincluding a diskette, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), memorydevice (volatile or non-volatile), or similar storage mechanism. Themachine-readable medium can contain various sets of instructions, codesequences, configuration information, or other data, which, whenexecuted, cause a processor to perform steps in a method according to anembodiment of the disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that other instructions and operations necessary to implementthe described implementations can also be stored on the machine-readablemedium. The instructions stored on the machine-readable medium can beexecuted by a processor or other suitable processing device, and caninterface with circuitry to perform the described tasks.

The above-described embodiments are intended to be examples only.Alterations, modifications and variations can be effected to theparticular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departingfrom the scope, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.Although example embodiments have been described herein with thereference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to those exact constructions and operations,and that various other changes and modifications may be made by oneskilled in the art.

Embodiments of the invention may be implemented using specificallydesigned hardware, configurable hardware, programmable data processorsconfigured by the provision of software (which may optionally comprise‘firmware’) capable of executing on the data processors, special purposecomputers or data processors that are specifically programmed,configured, or constructed to perform one or more steps in a method asexplained in detail herein and/or combinations of two or more of these.Examples of specifically designed hardware are: logic circuits,application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”), large scaleintegrated circuits (“LSIs”), very large scale integrated circuits(“VLSIs”) and the like. Examples of configurable hardware are: one ormore programmable logic devices such as programmable array logic(“PALs”), programmable logic arrays (“PLAs”) and field programmable gatearrays (“FPGAs”). Examples of programmable data processors are:microprocessors, digital signal processors (“DSPs”), embeddedprocessors, graphics processors, math co-processors, general purposecomputers, server computers, cloud computers, mainframe computers,computer workstations, and the like. For example, one or more dataprocessors in a control circuit for a device may implement methods asdescribed herein by executing software instructions in a program memoryaccessible to the processors.

Processing may be centralized or distributed. Where processing isdistributed, information including software and/or data may be keptcentrally or distributed. Such information may be exchanged betweendifferent functional units by way of a communications network, such as aLocal Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or the Internet,wired or wireless data links, electromagnetic signals, or other datacommunication channel.

For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order,alternative examples may perform routines having steps, or employsystems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes orblocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified to provide alternative or subcombinations. Each of theseprocesses or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways.Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed inseries, these processes or blocks may instead be performed in parallel,or may be performed at different times.

In addition, while elements are at times shown as being performedsequentially, they may instead be performed simultaneously or indifferent sequences. It is therefore intended that the following claimsare interpreted to include all such variations as are within theirintended scope.

In some embodiments, aspects of the invention may be implemented insoftware. For greater clarity, “software” includes any instructionsexecuted on a processor, and may include (but is not limited to)firmware, resident software, microcode, and the like. Both processinghardware and software may be centralized or distributed (or acombination thereof), in whole or in part, as known to those skilled inthe art. For example, software and other modules may be accessible vialocal memory, via a network, via a browser or other application in adistributed computing context, or via other means suitable for thepurposes described above.

Software and other modules may reside on servers, workstations, personalcomputers, tablet computers, data encoders, data decoders, PDAs, mobilephones, media players, and other devices suitable for the purposesdescribed herein. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate thataspects of the system can be practiced with any suitable communications,data processing, or computer system configurations, including: Internetappliances, hand-held devices (including personal digital assistants(PDAs)), wearable computers, all manner of cellular or mobile phones,multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics (e.g., video projectors, audio-visual receivers, displays,such as televisions, and the like), network PCs, mini-computers,mainframe computers, and the like.

Where a component (e.g. a software module, processor, controller,assembly, device, circuit, etc.) is referred to above, unless otherwiseindicated, reference to that component (including a reference to a“means”) should be interpreted as including as equivalents of thatcomponent any component which performs the function of the describedcomponent (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), including componentswhich are not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure whichperforms the function in the illustrated exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

Embodiments of the disclosure can be represented as a computer programproduct stored in a machine-readable medium (also referred to as acomputer-readable medium, a processor-readable medium, or a computerusable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein).The machine-readable medium can be any suitable tangible, non-transitorymedium, including magnetic, optical, or electrical storage mediumincluding a diskette, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), memorydevice (volatile or non-volatile), or similar storage mechanism. Themachine-readable medium can contain various sets of instructions, codesequences, configuration information, or other data, which, whenexecuted, cause a processor to perform steps in a method according to anembodiment of the disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that other instructions and operations necessary to implementthe described implementations can also be stored on the machine-readablemedium. The instructions stored on the machine-readable medium can beexecuted by a processor or other suitable processing device, and caninterface with circuitry to perform the described tasks.

Specific examples of systems, methods and apparatus have been describedherein for purposes of illustration. These are only examples. Thetechnology provided herein can be applied to systems other than theexample systems described above. Many alterations, modifications,additions, omissions and permutations are possible within the practiceof this invention. This invention includes variations on describedembodiments that would be apparent to the skilled addressee, includingvariations obtained by: replacing features, elements and/or steps withequivalent features, elements and/or steps; mixing and matching offeatures, elements and/or steps from different embodiments; combiningfeatures, elements and/or steps from embodiments as described hereinwith features, elements and/or steps of other technology; and/oromitting features, elements and/or steps from described embodiments.

It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claimshereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications,permutations, additions, omissions and sub-combinations as mayreasonably be inferred. The scope of the claims should not be limited bythe preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be giventhe broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

In the preceding description, for purposes of explanation, numerousdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the artthat these specific details are not required. In other instances,well-known electrical structures and circuits are shown in block diagramform in order not to obscure the understanding. For example, specificdetails are not provided as to whether the embodiments described hereinare implemented as a software routine, hardware circuit, firmware, or acombination thereof.

The above-described embodiments are intended to be examples only.Alterations, modifications and variations can be effected to theparticular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departingfrom the scope, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A Heads-Up Display (HUD) system for a pair ofglasses comprising: a glasses lens assembly having a first side and asecond side opposite the first side; a power module mounted to the firstside of the glasses lens assembly; an electronics module mounted to thesecond side of the glasses lens assembly; and a display for displayingimages under control of the electronics module, the display mounted on adisplay arm extending from the electronics module to a position within afield of vision of a user wearing the glasses; wherein the display ispart of a display unit comprising the display and an optical assembly,and the display unit is adjustably received in a display bracketattached to an end portion of the display arm; and wherein the HUDcomprises a flexible boot attached to the end portion of the display armfor covering the display bracket and the display unit; wherein theflexible boot comprises an opening facing the glasses lens assembly. 2.The system of claim 1 wherein the display arm is adjustable in one ormore degrees of freedom to facilitate adjustment of the position of thedisplay.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the glasses lens assemblyprovides one or more electrically conductive paths from the first sideto the second side thereof.
 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the glasseslens assembly comprises a transparent lens having transparent conductivefilms on front and rear faces thereof.
 5. The system of claim 3 whereinthe glasses lens assembly comprises a transparent lens having a flexibleprinted circuit cable extending from the first side to the second side.6. The system of claim 1 wherein the display is housed in a displayhousing constructed from an ultraviolet-blocking material.
 7. The systemof claim 1 wherein the display arm comprises one or more joints thereinfor adjusting the position of the display.
 8. The system of claim 1wherein the display arm is configured to bias the display toward theglasses lens assembly.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the display ispart of a display unit coupled to a display housing attached to an endportion of the display arm.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein thedisplay unit is adjustably coupled to the display housing.
 11. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the optical assembly comprises a display lenshaving a convex spherical surface and the display bracket comprises aconcave spherical surface sized and shaped to mate with the convexspherical surface of the display lens.
 12. The system of claim 11wherein the display bracket comprises one or more stops around aperiphery thereof for limiting movement of the optical assembly.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11 wherein the optical assembly comprises a reflectivesurface for redirecting light from the display toward the convexspherical surface.
 14. The system of claim 1, comprising a display hooddisposed about the opening of the flexible boot, the display hoodconfigured to abut the glasses lens assembly.
 15. The system of claim 1comprising first and second module connectors attached to the first andsecond sides of the glasses lens assembly, wherein the power module isreleasably attachable to the first module connector and the electronicsmodule is releasably attachable to the second module connector.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15 wherein the glasses lens assembly has one or moreholes on each of the first and second sides thereof, and the first andsecond module connectors comprise one or more protrusions configured toengage the one or more holes.
 17. The system of claim 15 wherein theglasses lens assembly has two holes or recesses on each of the first andsecond sides thereof, and each of the first and second module connectorscomprises an outer projection with an inwardly facing tab configured toengage one of the two holes or recesses from the outer face of theglasses lens assembly and an inner projection with an outwardly facingtab configured to engage the other one of the two holes or recesses fromthe inner face of the glasses lens assembly.
 18. The system of claim 15wherein each of the first and second module connectors comprises arecess on an outer face thereof, and wherein the power module and theelectronics module each comprise an inwardly extending post configuredto be received in the recess.
 19. The system of claim 15 wherein thepower module and the electronics module each comprise a spring loadedlatch on an inner face thereof, the latch moveable into and out ofengagement with the module connector and biased toward engagement withthe module connector.
 20. A Heads-Up Display (HUD) system for mountingon a pair of glasses, the HUD system comprising: a power module forproviding electrical power removably mountable to one side of a lensassembly of the glasses; and an electronics module connectable toreceive electrical power from the power module, the electronics moduleremovably mountable to an opposite side of the lens assembly of theglasses; and a display mounted on a display arm extending from theelectronics module to a position within a field of vision of a userwearing the glasses; wherein the display is part of a display unitcomprising the display and an optical assembly, and the display unit isadjustably received in a display bracket attached to an end portion ofthe display arm; and wherein the HUD comprises a flexible boot attachedto the end portion of the display arm for covering the display bracketand the display unit, the flexible boot having an opening facing theglasses lens assembly.
 21. A pair of glasses adapted to receive aHeads-Up Display (HUD) system, the glasses comprising a lens assemblyproviding one or more electrically conductive paths from a first sidethereof to a second side thereof; wherein the HUD comprises: a powermodule for providing electrical power removably mountable to one side ofa lens assembly of the glasses; and an electronics module connectable toreceive electrical power from the power module, the electronics moduleremovably mountable to an opposite side of the lens assembly of theglasses; and a display mounted on a display arm extending from theelectronics module to a position within a field of vision of a userwearing the glasses; wherein the display is part of a display unitcomprising the display and an optical assembly, and the display unit isadjustably received in a display bracket attached to an end portion ofthe display arm; and wherein the HUD comprises a flexible boot attachedto the end portion of the display arm for covering the display bracketand the display unit, the flexible boot having an opening facing theglasses lens assembly.